


Saferoom

by morgay



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Abduction, Action/Adventure, Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Anxiety, Attempted Murder, BAMF Spencer Reid, Biological Weapons, Card Games, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Depression, Flashbacks, Gen, Guns, Horror, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Spencer Reid, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kidnapping, Lucas Baker is his own warning, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Near Death, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Permanent Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Puzzles, Scars, Sleep Deprivation, Spencer Reid Needs a Hug, Spencer Reid-centric, Suicidal Thoughts, Supernatural Elements, Team as Family, Torture, Trauma, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:41:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29874108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgay/pseuds/morgay
Summary: During a mandatory vacation, Spencer winds up in a predicament that no one could've ever imagined. Pitted against the Baker family, Spencer must find a way to escape the property while simultaneously looking for a cure to end it all.This is the last time he takes a vacation.
Relationships: Spencer Reid & Everyone
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	Saferoom

**Author's Note:**

> So...I love Criminal Minds. And I love Resident Evil. So what better thing to do than merge them together? 
> 
> You don't need to have any previous knowledge of Resident Evil 7, as everything will be explained in this story. It will follow not only the kidnapping of Spencer, but also the aftermath and emotional toll it takes on him. I've had this story planned for a while and I'm excited to write it! I'll be shortening a few things from RE7 and changing some of the plot, but much of it will remain the same.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please read the tags so you know what you're getting into. Without further ado...let's dive in!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer takes a mandatory vacation and winds up in Dulvey, Louisiana.

Spencer hasn't ever taken a vacation before. It's never been necessary to him--never been something he ever even wanted.

So after a particularly grueling case, when Hotch informed Spencer that he would be taking mandatory vacation time, he wasn't exactly happy. However, he knew better than to argue with his superior, so gave a submissive--but annoyed--nod, and left Quantico for the week.

Morgan had congratulated him and Garcia had baked him cookies for his time away. Spencer just assumed that he'd be staying at home, catching up on his academic books and perhaps even joining a few college lectures. What he hadn't expected was for his mother to give him a call after he wrote his daily letter to her explaining the situation.

"Dulvey, Louisiana," his mother explains. "Have you heard of it?"

"Yes. It's a mining town. Why?"

"Not just mining," Diana says, and Spencer can hear the smile in her voice. "You know, your father and I used to go up there all the time. They have a cute little museum, a few shops, several old houses...I can't believe I never told you about it before."

Spencer ponders. "What'd you two do up there, anyway?"

"Exploring. Ghost hunting."

"Ghost hunting?"

"I'm not as practical as you, dear boy," Diana says. "But we've never taken a family vacation. Maybe it'll be fun...get you out of Virginia for a while."

"I've always wanted to visit Lafayette," Spencer muses. "What's the weather like up there?"

"Right now? Early-to-mid seventies. Why? You taking me up on the offer?"

"Maybe I'll go ghost hunting," he jokes.

"Try it. I know it doesn't make sense in that science-y brain of yours, but you never know."

"Hmm...maybe." He's not convinced, but maybe going will remind him of some of his family's history. This could be his one chance to complete that family vacation they never had.

"Well, let me know if you go. And take pictures!"

"I will, Mom. I will."

The next thing he knows, Spencer has a bag packed and ready to go.

Looks like he's leaving for Dulvey.

The drive in reminds him of the forests in _The Lord of the Rings_. Swaths of oak trees bathe the land, curling and overlapping above the road, shattered beams of light swishing through the branches. The map his mother sent him is worn and old; the words are pale and the locations are scratched.

He furrows his brow, trying to decipher where in the hell he's supposed to go. Spencer stops at a fork in the road and weighs his options. The map isn't doing him any favors.

He eventually decides to go right, which leads him into a thicker set of the forest. Spencer isn't sure that this is the right way, but continues driving anyway. He checks his phone and realizes that he has no signal. Wonderful.

It isn't another twenty minutes before he stumbles upon a beaten road. The concrete turns into something more jagged, large rocks and boulders strewn along the path. Spencer frowns but notices that the trees have cleared out, making way for rolling hills to slope against the edge of his vision.

"Well," he sighs to himself, "I suppose this counts as exploring."

His car can handle it, anyway.

Spencer takes the road up the steep hill and flows out on the other side. He sees a large house in the distance, but there's no fence to keep him out. Something prickles along the back of his neck. He isn't sure what it is yet, but this doesn't quite feel right.

The road billows out into something more favorable, but Spencer freezes when he sees an abandoned van on the road. He pulls over and reaches for his holster, but realizes he doesn't have it. _You're on vacation--not on a case._ Still, the feeling he's getting from the property isn't a good one, and Spencer's almost always been one to follow his intuition.

He'll check this out, then head to town after. Grab a gift and take a quick picture for his mother. He's not really doing this for himself, anyway. If being here will make Diana happy, then, well. It makes Spencer happy, too.

Weaponless, Spencer cautiously approaches the vehicle. Despite being white, it almost looks grayish-brown due to the thick layer of dust on it. Next to the back wheel, two coolers are open, one laying on its side. Spencer checks, but they're both empty. _Hmm..._

He almost wishes he could call the team, but alas, there's no cell service.

Spencer ignores the tripod leaning against the hood and notes the scratched, broken windows. He pries open the sliding door and notices a pamphlet inside.

SEWER GATORS EP. 17  
\-- Project Proposal --  
"Sneak into a Louisiana Ghost House"

Normally Spencer would shrug this kind of thing off, but the van has been here for what looks like weeks. It's possible the crew could be inside and hurt--or dead. He hasn't forgotten about all the kidnappings he read about when researching the town further.

Maybe this can turn into a BAU case, after all. He'll just need to explore for a little while first.

Turning, Spencer heads towards the rusted iron fence and notices a sign on the bars. _ACCEPT HER GIFT_ is written in red--either by a marker or by blood. Now Spencer's really growing concerned, because normal landowners don't post things like this. Maybe 'no trespassing' signs, sure. But this? This is different. It feels different.

And he's going to figure out why.

Spencer ducks through the fence and walks along the path, dead bushes swishes with his feet. Gnats swarm in front of his face and he brushes them away, curling past a tree and following the hedges and the gnarled path.

And then he notices something in the distance. A shape, walking across the property, now shrouded by the trees and foliage that surround the area. Spencer ducks and quietly moves forward, looking around the forest. However, he doesn't see anyone.

 _Maybe I should've called out_ , he thinks, but eventually shakes that thought away. It was better that he stayed hidden--after all, what if he was stumbling upon something that person wanted to never be found?

A crow caws in the distance, bringing Spencer back to his body. He dispels any additional thoughts and continues along the path, stepping over rocks half-buried in the dirt and mud. The sun streams through the thinly-veiled branches overhead, warming his skin. It's nearing dusk, though, so he's telling himself to hurry.

When he turns, Spencer feels his heart leap in his throat. He pauses in shock at the display before him, and has to blink a few times to really take in what he's seeing.

A circle of cow legs are strung up above the path, held by cords and wires wrapped around tree branches. There's a decapitated bull's head in the middle, beady black eyes staring at Spencer. Razor discs have been hung up as well, swinging back and forth in the wind.

He feels like he's going to be sick, but swallows down bile and ducks underneath the gruesome display. Spencer throws himself out on the other side and continues walking, faster now, though.

The faster he explores this, the faster he can return to the car...and hopefully get his team down here to investigate whatever the fuck is happening on this property.

Ignoring a cluster of dead crows, Spencer hops down a ledge and steps across a freshly-doused fire pit. He glances up at the house looming down across from him. It's old and graying, wooden pillars broken and wedged from their places. The chimney is wrapped in a thick layer of ivy and vines, foliage snaking across the roof and blanketing against the sides.

He notices a leather purse on the ground and quickly picks it up, inspecting the items inside. He pulls out a weathered Texas ID with a woman's face. The rest is too scratched to tell exactly what it's saying.

Further inside is a file. The woman has a picture of herself and a man, and on a piece of paper reads:

From: Mia Winters  
Sent: July 18, 2010 - 11:04 PM Tuesday  
To: Ethan Winters

Dulvey, Louisiana.  
Baker farm.  
Come get me.

Spencer's heart pounds achingly in his chest. He stuffs the message in his back pocket and thinks about this woman--and Ethan Winters. Is he on his way? Is this woman imprisoned here? Is she dead? The paper sounds like a cry for help.

 _Maybe someone caught her before she could send the letter_ , Spencer realizes. _If so...she could be in danger._

After all, it is July 19th. And for whatever reason, the purse is laying next to a fire pit.

Spencer shakes his head and continues on, walking past a long wooden swing and stepping his way on to the front porch, ducking through hanging leaves. The windows have been boarded up with iron bars and are covered in cobwebs. The platform below his feet is destroyed, beams thrown haphazardly across the porch. A single white light illuminates the front of the house, and Spencer inhales thickly.

If Mia Winters has been captured, then she's running out of time. Spencer could be her chance at escape...and survival.

When he enters the house, he clicks on his flashlight and closes the door behind him. Everything here is old and rotted; wood chips are peeling off the walls and doors themselves. He opens a door and enters the hallway, where natural light streams in from a window. Spencer ignores the pictures strung on the wall and enters a kitchen.

It's a large space, certainly, but smells like rotted food. Spencer frowns deeply, even more so when he nears a pot and opens it--inside look like an array of guts and other bodily organs, but he drops the top when a large cockroach crawls along his hand. "Fuck!" Spencer curses, swiping it off. He watches a group scurry off into the floorboards, disappearing from sight.

Spencer moves on from the pot and opens the microwave, gagging at the dead--and heavily burned--crow that's inside. The fridge is so disgusting Spencer nearly vomits, but he manages to keep his breakfast down by ignoring it and turning to a newspaper on the table.

_The Dulvey Daily: Over 20 Missing in 2 Years_

He'd read the same article online.

Exiting the kitchen, even more concerned, Spencer heads up the stairs and notices a VHS tape abandoned on a dresser. On the side reads: DERELICT HOUSE FOOTAGE. Perhaps he'll find a tape player somewhere else in the house.

Creeping back downstairs, Spencer continues rummaging through the worn-down rooms until he spots a television with a video player on top. Before he can rush over, he spots several pictures thrown across the room; one shows a woman in a white tank top, another shows someone standing in front of a bed while a woman's legs are exposed, and the last shows pictures of a cage. On the wall is a picture of a family--a man, woman, and two young children. Perhaps they lived here? There's no way a family could inhabit this house.

Sighing, turning to the video player, Spencer watches back the tape. His horror grows minute by minute when he realizes that it's video of the ghost hunting crew.

It's dated June 1st, 2010. Over a month before.

The video ends with one of the crewmates being found in a horrific manner, blood dripping from his eyes and nose, crimson splattered around his mouth. Spencer can deduct that the deceased man, Andre, was stuffed into a pipe to give the appearance of standing. It horrifies him to know that something like this happened here, that he just saw it on camera--and even more so to see someone else murder the cameraman as well.

They're probably all dead, Spencer realizes.

But it's not too late for Mia.

Following the video, Spencer unhinges a lever from underneath the chimney and a trap door opens in the wall. He crawls inside and avoids the cockroaches again, looking down the ladder where the two--maybe three--ghost hunters died. However, as he begins descending the ladder, two pieces give way. Suddenly Spencer is in the air and he shouts until he slams into the ground, grunting as pain thrums through his body.

Spencer cradles his arm to his chest and breathes. He stares up the ladder and realizes that there's no way up--not anymore. He's stuck down here now, vulnerable and subject to any kind of attack, but he knows he'd continue on either way.

To save a life, Spencer will do anything.

When he finally manages to weakly stand again, he stretches for a moment to push the ache out of his muscles. He spots the area where Andre had died and notices a backpack on the ground. Hesitating, Spencer reaches forward and checks inside. Nothing--it's empty.

But it'll do, no matter how wrong it feels to put it on.

After sliding the straps over his shoulders, Spencer continues through the corridor, ducking as water leaks from the ceiling. The walls are slick and wet, mixed with stone as pipes run from the ground up. At least there are lights, which is something, but it isn't enough to quell the fear wrapping up Spencer's spine. The deeper he treks into the property, the more terrified he feels.

But he has to do this. He can...and he will.

Spencer eventually makes it to a wooden door. As soon as he enters, he notices an empty cage to his right. In front of him are two beams of wood. On them are child's drawings, marked in red--a family, it seems. It must be the Bakers...When he looks closer, he sees the same sentence circled over and over until it's just scribbles.

'I'm sorry, Daddy.'

The words chill Spencer to his core.

He forced himself to continue on and notices another cell down the underground hallway. He picks up speed, realizing that it's the same one he'd seen in the picture upstairs, and rushes to the door. There's a woman inside, laying on a bed with her back turned to him. The handle is bolted shut with chains and Spencer turns towards the rest of the room, nearing the table for anything to help him out.

What he sees first is a paper--one that makes his skin crawl. It's a list of names with what appears to be their status written beside them. Turned, dead, turned, turned...what the fuck does that even mean? Spencer drops the paper with shaking hands and notices the faces plastered over the wall. Potential victims...His gut turns, but the glint of a bolt cutter catches his eye. He picks up the heavy tool and brings it to the cell, snapping the chains. He drops the bolt cutters and enters, rushing to the woman's side. "Mia?" he whispers, looking around in case anyone nears. For now, they're safe. Spencer gently grabs the woman's shoulder and turns her over.

Black hair, hazel eyes.

It's Mia.

"Mia," Spencer whispers. She blinks in confusion. "I understand that you don't know me, but my name is Spencer Reid. I'm with the FBI. I found your purse outside...are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She jerks out of his grasp, eyes wide. "You shouldn't be here." Her eyes dart around, clearly expecting visitors. Her tone of voice is thick with panic. "Did anyone see you? Did he see you?"

"'He'?" Spencer echoes dumbly. "Who else is here?"

Mia shakes her head and grips his hand. "Daddy's coming," she says, terrified. "We need to go."

Stockholm Syndrome, he realizes. It must be. He almost wonders why he's following her, then remembers that she needs her to trust him. If there's any way he can get through to her...well, he's going to try.

"Where are you talking me?" Spencer asks softly as they pass his the desk, peering into another dark, smaller corridor.

"Someplace safe," she promises, turning to look at him.

Spencer works up his nerve, unsure if it's the right time to ask. "How...how long have you been here, Mia?"

She blinks. "I..." Mia shakes her head. "Years, at least..."

 _Jesus_ , Spencer thinks, sucking in a breath. _If she's been a prisoner for that long, it's no wonder she's worried about 'Daddy.'_ This makes him wonder if there's a single male in charge or if a whole family is. Has Mia been sexually abused? Is there a sexual meaning behind the nickname? Or has she been included in a family, told to call their father by that name?

Even more confusing--why is Mia alive? If the names he read on that paper were anything to go by, then almost all of them are dead in some way. All most likely kidnapped, too. So why is Mia special? Why is she kept healthy?

And who the hell is 'Daddy'?

Mia eventually continues, looking through a series of wooden slits to make sure that no one's on the other side. Spencer frowns, attempting again. "What is this place?" he asks. "Have they done anything to you?"

"Not now," she snaps, "we need to get out of here first. I...I think it's this way."

They pass through a room with a loosely-padded hospital bed, a bloody sheet strung over the top. Packages of meat are strewn around the floor and the smell is horrible. Spencer begins to wonder what's in those packages--especially once he sees the crimson-stained shackles on the bed.

Turning, he continues following Mia towards a tightly squeezed space. She looks at the area, pausing, before nodding to herself. "The family used to bring me food through here," she says. "I remember."

The family.

That's all the confirmation Spencer needs that the portrait he'd seen hung on the wall isn't the former owners. Those are the owners now. And they're kidnapping and killing people.

It still begs the question of why Mia is even alive.

They shove through the claustrophobic space and emerge on the other side, where the soft glow of a yellow light catches both their attention.

"There...it's there...!" Mia says, rushing towards the wooden door. Light spills beneath it, illuminating the floor.

Mia opens the door and Spencer realizes that what he's staring at is a living area. A couch is on the right, next to a table with a lamp on top of it. There's a dirty rug on the ground, and to the left is another dark, cold area.

"I remember this room," Mia says, looking at Spencer. "There's another door here, I'm sure of it." She stumbles around, staring at the wall, and her hands begin to shake. "It's not here. It's gone...it's gone!" Her voice rises into a wail.

And then she stops, and her body goes rigid. Spencer immediately notices the change in posture and attitude. She turns and stares at Spencer but says nothing, just staring into his eyes before stumbling off towards the couch. She slumps again. "There's another door here...I'm sure of it."

Mia sits and leans over like she's in pain--or dizzy. Spencer frowns and stands next to her, crouching slightly. "Mia..."

"We gotta get out of here," she breathes.

"Just..." he sighs. "Stay here, alright? I'm gonna have a look around." Maybe he can find another way out.

Mia just nods weakly.

Spencer frowns but begins picking through the room, noticing a picture of a dark-haired girl with 'E-001' written on the back. As he moves into the next room over, he plows statistics and ideas and possibilities through his head. He doesn't know much, but so far is aware that Mia is most likely suffering from PTSD and Stockholm Syndrome. However, she did seem to want to help Spencer, so that's a plus--so far.

He just wishes he could fully understand everything. With all these pictures lying around, with the photos of faces plastered on the wall, talk of 'the family' and 'Daddy'...well, Spencer isn't sure how well he's going to make it out of here.

But he has to try.

The next room is dark and damp, and a metal shelving unit--and two brick pillars--intercede as a sort of barrier from the apparent living room. Spencer picks up a black-haired doll and realizes that it's Mia. Questions flurry around his head--who made this? Was it Mia? Is there a little girl here as well? If so, she might be in as much need of help as Mia.

Before he can examine the next doll on the shelf, he hears a slam and a scream from the other room. Heart in his throat, Spencer shoves himself to the floor and pokes his head through the metal shelves, eyes wide.

"Leave me alone!" he hears Mia yell, but there's no one there.

Now on his feet, Spencer scrabbles back into the room and looks around. "Mia?" He feels terror grip his chest. He's lost Mia, doesn't have his team for backup, and has absolutely no weapon. Still, he doesn't have time to be a coward. He has to move forward. He has to help Mia, the little girl, and whoever else needs assistance in this apparent 'family.'

He turns to the side and sees a billow of smoke puffing from the broken wall. So that's where the door was...hidden in plain sight. He curses himself for being so stupid and quickly slides into the next hallway, ducking as water drips on his head.

The hallway leads to a small, compact room with a set of wooden stairs leading to a white, ragged door. Spencer begins to slowly climb. When he reaches the door, he opens it with a shaking hand and risks a glance around.

The first thing he hears is rain. It's completely dark outside now, as he can tell from the windows lining the hallway. He must still be somewhere in the home--probably a guest house--and Mia could be, well, anywhere.

 _So could 'Daddy'_ , his mind supplies. Spencer forces away a shudder when a clap of thunder shakes through the rotted house. He glances around and noticed a phone on a small table pushed up against the wall. Heart suddenly in his throat, Spencer jumps forward and clicks it to his ear, looking down at the numbers. He's ready to dial the police but--

The phone line is dead.

Shit. It must be the storm.

Cursing to himself, Spencer slams the phone down and looks around, suddenly hyper-aware that he may not be alone with Mia anymore. He has no weapon, no background information, and no names. He has no idea what kind of male figure could be here, but runs through his mind for ideas.

 _Any unsub that uses the name 'Daddy' clearly wants to be seen in a position of power...they're dominant, prone to violence, most likely unstable and very, very protective of their property. Which will certainly include Mia._ He needs to be careful.

Furrowing his brow and biting his lip, Spencer ducks through the hallway, a flash of lightning slashing over the wall, pulsing the house with white light. Spencer checks the bathroom first--it's old and grimy, the white walls and floor turned slightly brown with dirt. This place hasn't been cleaned in a long time, and Spencer just wonders how many toxins or fumes he's inhaled. Shaking his head, Spencer fumbles open one of the drawers and notices a first aid kit. Oh, thank god.

He quickly slips it into his backpack for safe keeping and begins to exit the bathroom. When he does, however, he hears banging coming from the basement. Spencer frowns deeply. There was no one down there, as far as he knows--perhaps someone was behind he and Mia? Following them? That makes his blood run cold.

Spencer heads back toward the basement door, passing the disconnected phone and creaking open the peeled wood door. He says nothing as he descends, hoping that if he's quiet enough, he can get the upper hand on whoever's down here. However, after a moment of silence as he waits on the second step, Spencer hears raspy, heavy breathing.

Every hair on his body stands up. He sees a shape slinking on the stairs, dragging its body toward him. Black hair flows in front of the woman's face, and it's like some fucked up version of that _Ring_ movie Garcia made everyone watch.

Before Spencer can even get the chance to run, the woman screeches and throws herself forward, grappling on to Reid's shirt and lifting her face. He nearly vomits when he sees it's Mia, but she-- she looks _different_. Her skin tone is gray and ashen, brows furrowed into a deep line. Her mouth is twisted into a snarl, teeth bared more like a wild animal than anything.

"Mia?" Spencer breathes out, shock written all over his features.

She doesn't respond. Instead, Mia fists her hands into Spencer's shirt and throws him.

Far.

He flies through the air and yells when he hits the boarded up window on the first floor, pain thrumming through his entire body. Spencer can feel that his shoulder is wrenched, throbbing angrily. Adrenaline pushes through his veins, however, clearly dulling the ache and heightening his senses. He can hear Mia's feet thundering up the steps and staggers up, blinking.

When he opens his eyes, Mia is standing before him with a knife.

She wastes no time grabbing him and throwing him back to the ground, falling to her knees in front of him. "Mia, wait!" Spencer cries, but she isn't listening. This must be some sort of psychotic break...something must've happened when she was taken just minutes before. But what?

Before his mind can even process the flurry of ideas, Mia is raising her arm and slashing the knife towards his chest. Spencer manages to throw his arms in front of him and blocks the attack, but winces when the blade slices over the top of his wrist, nicking him. Blood dribbles down his arm as he uses his legs to propel her backwards, rolling out of the way as Mia slams the knife into the wood where his body just was.

His heart thuds heavily in his chest as he scrambles to his feet, staggering backwards. She throws herself to her feet and runs at him, screaming. Spencer blocks again, crying out at the continuous attacks, arms bloodied and pained from the slices all over. He pushes a hand into the side of her face, the other at her wrist, and successfully manages to push her back.

She drops the knife with a clatter and Spencer backpedals, watching her warily. Something else comes over Mia and her face changes, but something in it looks considerably more human.

Mia whimpers, drawing her hands over her ears. Her face is spattered with Spencer's blood. "I can hear her," she cries, "I can feel her _clawing_ her way back inside of me. Get _out_!" She slams her head into the wall, skull cracking against the wood paneling.

Spencer says nothing--just watches with wide eyes.

"Leave me alone!" Mia wails, doing it again. She sways, looking nauseous, before staring at Spencer. "I've been bad. I deserve this." With one last shove, she's hit her head and is now passed out on the ground.

Spencer just stares. His entire body is a mess of nerves; he's shaking profusely, hands trembling. He's rarely ever been in this situation before. Alone, completely isolated, only his mother knowing where he is...

He's always had his team to depend on during circumstances like these. Even with Hankel he knew his team was out there looking for him. But now? Now, Spencer's completely alone. He thought, for just a moment, he had Mia, but now knows the years being kidnapped has taken a huge mental toll on her. He's trapped in this house, trying desperately to save her, and has no idea what's going to happen next. Not to mention that she threw him back with some sort of supernatural strength, and it's something Spencer absolutely cannot process right now.

Exhaling, Spencer is too terrified and shaken to even think about what to do right now. He lifts himself to his feet and stares down at Mia, blinking sluggishly. "I'm going to try and help you," he whispers. "I'm so sorry this has happened to you."

Almost like some sick joke, Mia's eyes snap open with the words. Her body moves unnaturally as she lifts herself from the floor, not even using her hands. She snaps an arm out and holsters a vice grip on Spencer's arm, lifting it up. "Leave me!" she growls, gripping his shoulders and throwing him against the wall.

Correction.

Not against the wall. _Through_ it.

An explosion of wood tumbles down after him. Spencer lands awkwardly on his back, completely winded from the throw. He only has a moment to think of how insane it is that Mia had the strength to propel him through a wall, but realizes he's going to have to fight her again.

When he looks up after a set of heaving breathes, he sees Mia swaying in the hallway, knife in hand. Spencer risks a glance to his left and spots an axe, laying on the ground. With his heart in his throat, instincts take prejudice and Spencer jerks forward, lifting the axe and forcing himself to his shaking feet.

" _Go_!" Mia growls, slowly nearing Spencer, arm raised with her knife.

"Mia," Spencer tries slowly, taking a step back. He grips the axe until his fingers have turned white. "You're not yourself right now. I believe you've been told to hurt me or else face punishment, but I can assure you that I won't let that happen. If you drop the knife and come with me, we can leave here, Mia. We can escape. I can bring you back to your husband. Bring you back to...to Ethan. You'll be safe again."

A flicker of recognition crosses over Mia's face, but it's gone just as soon as it's there. "Liar," she whispers, before running at him.

Spencer doesn't have any options left.

He has to fight.

He rears back and swipes the axe into the side of her throat, a splutter of blood specking his cheek. Her head snaps to the side as she hunches over, and Spencer can feel the horror and grief tangling at his insides. He's just killed her. She's dead...but at least he'll have made her death quick.

Except.

She lifts her head, the wound wide and gaping, and _swings_.

Spencer is so shocked he can't defend himself for a moment. Luckily she misses, an arm's length away, but he can't believe what he's seeing right now. She should be in a heap on the ground, pale and dead. Instead she's here, fighting him, hardly looking affected at all.

His mind connects this with the superhuman strength, the pallor of her face, the complete change of her personality, her terror practically nonexistent...

She's either being possessed or has been affected by some sort of toxin. Spencer can't even begin to wrap his mind around that one.

And then Mia strikes again. Or, at least, attempts to. Spencer manages to obstruct her assault as she grips his wrists. He wrenches his arms forward and punches her repeatedly. He swears the sound of her agonized groans will haunt him forever. She manages to writhe her way out of his grasp and staggers backwards, slightly dazed.

Spencer doesn't waste a moment.

He slams the axe into her shoulder.

She freezes, eyes rolling back. Blood spurts out of the wound before dipping into a steady stream down her chest, staining her gray tank top. She reaches an arm out for him before toppling to the ground, going completely limp. Spencer stands above her, choking on the bile in his throat. He's killed people before, he's watched them die right before his eyes...but this is different. This is close, and real, and intimate.

He's just killed the person he was meant to save.

Blood blemishes his calloused hands. He hardly feels the pain of his wounds from the shock. Tears well in his eyes and he staggers back, gripping his wild hair. "Oh, god," he whispers brokenly. Spencer begins to sob. "Oh, no." He can't believe what he just did. Can't...he can't...this can't be real...it must be a _dream_...

Spencer stares dazedly down at Mia. Something clicks in his head then. He needs to leave. Needs to escape. The sooner he gets out of here, the sooner he can deliver Mia's body to her husband, tell him the news himself...and he can't do that if he's standing here, waiting for Mia to get back up when he's just snuffed the life out of her.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, taking a step back. "I'll come back for you. I swear I will, Mia."

A beat of silence passes. Spencer nods to himself. It's time to get the hell out of here.

Except then there's a hand on his shoulder. Spencer freezes at the weight, heart dropping into his stomach. He's wheeled around and spots flashes of an older man wearing glasses, clad in a yellow shirt with white stripes. And then there's a pressure in his temple as the man punches him, hard, and Spencer clatters to the floor in a heap, right next to Mia.

The last thing he hears is a confident southern accent drawl, "Welcome to the family, son."

Everything turns black after that.


End file.
